PROJECT SUMMARY Enrichment Program The overarching objectives of the Enrichment Program of the WU DDRCC are to promote and encourage scientific dialog and collaboration among Center members, to nurture and support training and career development for trainees and junior faculty, including underrepresented minorities (URMs), in digestive disease related research, to highlight new advances that promote interest in our thematic areas and to stimulate interaction and collaborations with other NIDDK centers and DDRCCs. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Enrichment Program promotes the goals of the WU DDRCC through weekly research conferences that attract a confluence of communities, including trainees and faculty in the Division of Adult and Pediatric Gastroenterology, DDRCC members and a range of WUSM faculty with interests in digestive disease and host-environment interactions. These weekly research conferences are widely advertised, well attended (average 45 attendees) and function to promote interest in digestive disease throughout the WUSM community. We collaborate with other WU NIDDK Centers (including Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) and Diabetes Research Center (DRC)) and across Departments (including Pediatrics, Pathology and Immunology, Molecular Microbiology) to co-sponsor annual workshops highlighting important research themes. The Enrichment Program also sponsors workshops devoted to career advancement and academic skills and to promote collaborations between junior and senior faculty. In addition, the Enrichment Program sponsors an alternate year poster presentation event in conjunction with our External Advisory Board visit to highlight all Pilot and Feasibility (P/F) accomplishments. The Enrichment Program also sponsors mini-sabbaticals for up to one month for trainees to visit other Centers (including DDRCCs). SPECIFIC AIMS for current cycle: (1) Coordinate weekly seminar series focusing on digestive disease related themes, including internal and external speakers as well as presentations from Core Directors. This includes maintaining an infrastructure for electronic/web based dissemination of announcements and information. (2) Sponsor a panel of ~10 visiting researchers annually (selected by Thematic Program Leaders) to augment the scientific milieu, promote collaboration and stimulate development of new initiatives in digestive disease. (3) Sponsor one designated URM speaker per year. (4) Support career development of trainees and junior faculty (including URMs) to pursue careers in Digestive Disease (DD) research, through didactic talks and seminars focusing on academic skills as well as through meetings with visiting speakers and with members of the External Advisory Board. (5) Coordinate alternate year poster presentations of P/F Awardees to coincide with EAB meeting. (6) Sponsor mini-sabbatical visits for junior faculty or trainees to acquire new skills related to DD research (7) Sponsor monthly thematically related journal clubs/interest groups. (8) Support and promote dialog with other Midwest DDRCCs through an annual meeting rotating among other centers, specifically promoting career development for P/F Awardees.